1.
Please
pray with me. May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock
and our Redeemer. Amen. The season of Easter and this Good Shepherd
Sunday give us a chance to focus on the role and relationship of faithful
pastors, undershepherds of Jesus, grounded first in the relationship with the
Good Shepherd, and with their Christian congregations. The text from Revelation 7 today, shows the
heavenly scene in which all the faithful are gathered before Jesus our Good
Shepherd. We see in our reading from the book of Acts that the hardships for
Paul and the Ephesians are overcome by the time of that heavenly gathering. John chapter 10 contains the words of Jesus the
Shepherd himself. The message is entitled, “Shepherd
the Flock of God,” and it’s taken from Acts 20:17-35, dear brothers and
sisters in Christ.
2.
A group of military servicemen asked their new
chaplain if he believed in a real hell for lost sinners, and he smiled and told
them that he didn’t. “Then you are
wasting your time,” the soldiers replied. “If there’s no hell, we don’t need you; and if there is a hell, you are
leading us astray. Either way, we’re better off without you!” These words are so true about why the
Apostle Paul is calling the Ephesian elders here in Acts 20 to hold fast to the
doctrine and teaching that was entrusted to them and to shepherd the flock of God, because the salvation of the bodies and
souls of God’s people are at stake.
3.
Paul’s
words to the Ephesian elders here in Acts 20 are about proper love and care for
those entrusted to them. We are spiritual orphans in need of a loving heavenly
Father. The image on Good Shepherd Sunday of Jesus as a shepherd caring for us
is expanded in the role of those undershepherds, those pastors, who watch over
the flock of God’s people.
4.
I
want to focus today specifically on Paul’s words in Acts 20:24, 27, 28-35 where
he says, “24But I do not
account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my
course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the
gospel of the grace of God, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to
you the whole counsel of God. 28Pay careful attention to yourselves
and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care
for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29I
know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing
the flock; 30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking
twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31Therefore
be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to
admonish everyone with tears. 32And now I commend you to God and to
the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the
inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I coveted no one’s
silver or gold or apparel. 34You yourselves know that these hands
ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35In all
things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak
and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more
blessed to give than to receive.’”
5.
Notice
that the Apostle Paul had a proper set of priorities (v. 24). He told the
elders, “I consider my life worth nothing
to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has
given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” When I read that verse I think of Philippians
3:13–14, where Paul gives a similar testimony: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press
on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.” Paul’s goals involved forgetting what was behind—the
failures, temptations, weaknesses, even the achievements—and pressing forward
instead to the things God yet had for him, always having his eye on the prize
to which God had called him in Christ Jesus.
6.
One
reason why many of us are not more effective in our Christian lives is that we
don’t have our priorities in order. Isn’t it true that most of us value our
lives far more than our Christian witness? We value the praise of men far more
than the praise of God. St. Augustine,
we are told, once dreamed that he approached the gates of heaven. An angel
stopped him before he could enter and asked, “Who are you?” Augustine responded, “I am a Christian. “No,”
said the angel, “you are a Ciceronian.
Here we judge people by what interests them, and you have interest only in the
classics.” Augustine claims that as a result of the dream, he changed his
habits and devoted much more attention to the Scriptures and holy living. Such focus of life is Paul’s challenge to the
Ephesian church leaders and to us in Acts 20. Through them, the Holy Spirit and
the Word speak to us as well, raising questions about our values and focus in
life. How easy in our hectic world to
value the temporary and ignore the eternal. Paul commended these brothers to God and to the word of his grace, which
can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified
(v. 32). This chapter ought to call us
back to the basics, back to the priorities of Christian faith to which Paul
gave his life. The twenty-fourth verse of Acts 20 could well be a life verse
for serious Christians intentionally wanting to be the Lord’s disciples: However, I consider my life worth nothing to
me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has
given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
7.
This
is why one of the roles of a pastor is to be like the Apostle Paul and to make
sure that his parishioners have the right priorities in order. For
this reason I’m about to enter into the most explosive subject imaginable.
No, not abortion or same-sex marriage, not even immigration reform or gun
control. I want to talk about parents,
sports, work, and the church. How many
of you already felt your defenses go up and your blood pressure rise? I believe that on the 8th day, God
created ESPN. I played organized sports
from grade school all the way through college.
I believe sports are a healthy investment for parents to make, even when
it involves sacrifice to have your children involved. But, according to a new study published in
the Review of Religious Research, an examination of declining
attendance at 16 congregations revealed that many pastors place the most blame
on children’s sports activities, since both practices and competitions are
increasingly, “scheduled on Sunday
mornings at the very time when many churches traditionally have provided
religious education.” I’ve seen the
same thing. I see parents letting almost
every other extracurricular activity in their child’s life take precedent over
investments designed to make a spiritual impression. Meaning soccer, football,
volleyball, or baseball, get first dibs on the calendar. I’ve also hear people make the same excuse
when it comes to their work schedule, that their work comes even before
worshiping our Lord Jesus in church. Think
about what you’re saying. In fact, say it out loud, in front of a
mirror. Listen to it. “I will
do spiritual things for my child’s sake until sports or work conflict, then
sports and work win.” Do you mean
it? Really? Is that how you want to prioritize things? Remember that the Lord wants us to remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
8.
The
Apostle Paul brought his farewell message to a close here in Acts 20 by warning
the leaders of the dangers they had to recognize and deal with if they were to
protect and lead the church. Never underestimate the great importance of the
church. The church is important to God the Father because His name is on it—“the church of God.” It’s important to
the Son, Jesus our Good Shepherd, because He shed His blood on the cross for
the forgiveness of our sins, and it’s important to the Holy Spirit because He’s
calling and equipping people to minister to the church. The Apostle reminds us that there are
dangers around us, “wolves” that want
to ravage the flock (Acts 20:29). Paul was referring to false teachers who
exploit the church for personal gain (Matt. 7:15–23; 10:16; Luke 10:3; 2 Peter
2:1–3). This is why it’s important for both pastors and laypeople to know the
Word of God and be able to detect and defeat these false teachers.
9.
But
there are also dangers among us (Acts
20:30), because of people within the church who are ambitious for position and
power. Church history, ancient and modern, is filled with accounts of people
like Diotrephes who love to have the dominance (3 John 9–11). It’s shocking to
realize that more than one false prophet got his or her start within the
Christian church! And there are also
dangers within us (Acts 20:31–35),
and this seems to be where Paul put the greatest emphasis. “Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves”
(Acts 20:28). He names some sins that are especially destructive to the life
and ministry of the church. The first is
carelessness (Acts 20:31), failing to
stay alert and forgetting the price that others have paid so that we might have
God’s truth. Paul’s warning should be
constant reminders to us to take our spiritual responsibilities seriously as
God’s people. The second sin is shallowness (Acts 20:32). We can’t build
the church unless God is building our lives daily. There’s a balance here
between prayer and the Word of God. Covetousness is the third sin we must
avoid (Acts 20:33). It means a consuming and controlling desire for what others
have and for more of what we ourselves already have. “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments, but if
we do covet, we will end up breaking all the other nine! Those who covet will
steal, lie, and murder to get what they want, and even dishonor their own
parents. Covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5).
10. Paul closed this
memorable occasion by kneeling down and praying for his friends, and then they
all wept together. It’s a difficult thing to say good-bye, especially when you
know you will not see your friends again in this life. But we have the blessed
assurance that we will one day see our Christian friends and loved ones in
heaven, when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior returns (1 Thes. 4:13–18). But, now for us as Christians, both pastors
and laypeople, there’s a job to be done, so, let’s do it! Pastors, Shepherd
the flock of God, and lay- people, obey your spiritual leaders and submit
to them as those who are keeping watch over your souls, so that the Church may
be protected, built up, and edified in all that it does. Amen.
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